Eyes on the prize.

I know that there are things in our lives that haven’t changed because we are too scared to believe in ourselves.

The way Jesus said that ‘If only you had faith as big as a mustard seed, you would tell a mountain to move from here to there, and it will.’ You need to google to see how small a mustard seed is, for you to understand, that what he meant is, complete faith in the unknown is very hard to achieve. Not impossible, but hard.

Sometimes, It’s hard to look at your present circumstances and choose to believe that there is hope for a different outcome, no matter how the situation looks like in the present. Faith, as I am made to believe, means complete focus and trust in the changes that you want to see. However, it should be known that faith without actions is futile. It’s nothing. Each step of faith you make, must be accompanied by an action that propels you towards the goal you want. Eyes on the prize.

Faith seeks to have you forget about everything else that you ever learnt in school, all the past experiences you’ve had, everything you’ve ever been told, and focus on what is in the moment and how you want it to be. While that may sound simple, it is the hardest bit since your mind will want to remind you of all the past times that things did not work.

So what is faith if it still means that you have to do the work? Well, remember when Peter saw Jesus walking on water and he couldn’t believe his eyes, that he asked Jesus to enable him to also walk on water like him. To pass the magic to him. And Jesus told him to simply get out of the boat and walk towards him. Point to note, Jesus does not give you faith, he gives you situations to show you that you can put you trust in him. It’s an inside job. Peter made a few steps and immediately he felt the wind becoming too strong, he was scared and he started sinking.

I think of this story and imagine what it felt like for Peter to walk on water. To do the impossible. To feel his feet actually move. To see the other disciples look at him in awe. To feel the adrenaline rush in his body. He couldn’t believe it. And Jesus was watching and looking out for him. Waiting for him. Then for a moment he doubted that he was actually doing it and because he could feel the strength of the wind, he knew he must sink. And he sunk. If Peter saw Jesus, and he was assured that he was okay but he still doubted, what about us mere mortal beings?

I also believe that walking on water may be metaphorical. It may mean conquering a situation that was too hard to imagine you could do it. You may have walked on water when you chose to believe in God while facing the hardest battle of your life. You walked on water when you started a business with little capital but it expanded and exceeded your expectations. You walked on water when you kept having miscarriages but you still believed that God will one day give you a baby, and he did. You walked on water when you courageously pulled yourself out of depression. We are always walking on water, we just haven’t paused to observe. The doubt that is mentioned may mean that we should always avoid being distracted. Don’t be distracted when they start cheering on you and you haven’t been to the end yet. Don’t listen to the discouraging words they keep throwing. Keep your eyes on the goal.

Story time. Some time ago my nephew was sick and the drugs he was on, seemed not to be working. One night we felt that the situation was becoming worse and we got scared. The nurses assured us that he was in good hands but still, we doubted. We decided to pray. It is worth noting that at the time, I was not very prayerful, I was going through a phase. His mom prayed and was overcome by emotions midway that she couldn’t continue praying. My heart wasn’t at peace too but I knew that she needed strength so I stepped in and finished the prayer. I remember among many things, we prayed for wisdom; that God grants the doctor wisdom to know how else to help/treat our baby, and for appetite; since he hadn’t eaten anything for 2 days. We all believed and slept, amidst our fears.

Morning came and our baby started taking food, and when the doctor came, he proposed that will change the antibiotics (which now worked). If this was a coincidence, then it was too good to not believe it had something to do with our faith in God. We all believed in the same goal, and God acted.

Be courageous to follow the things you believe could be what’s best for you and may God come through for you in the place where you need him the most.

He indeed shows up. May your faith in Him be restored.

*I want to grow spiritually. It’s an area that is still work in progress. That being said, I will be coming here once in a while to share what I am learning with you. *

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